Freewheel cages of said type are known to the applicant, as prior art, from the applicant's own product catalog, for example for clamp body freewheels. The production of freewheel cages of said type is comparatively complex. Thus, first, the basic body is cut to length from a band of material (for example a band of sheet metal) as a material strip, and the material strip which is formed in this way is bent into a U-shape in a suitable drawing tool. Openings which are required (and which for example later partially form the intermediate spaces for holding clamp bodies) are subsequently punched out of the material, and retainers for the clamp bodies are subsequently formed by bending. In a further working step, the workpiece is then bent into the shape of a ring and joined together at its ends, for example by welding. The production of a freewheel cage of said type thus takes place in a large number of individual steps, in part using complex tools.
A freewheel cage is also known from DE 31 51 727 A1. To provide a freewheel cage which is cost-effective to produce, it is proposed in said document to form the connecting pieces (which also serve to retain the clamp bodies) as separate components.